


Endless Continuity

by Melomaniaa



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: 20-Year-Old-Steven, F/M, Gen, Insecurity, Protective Diamonds, Redemption, Requited Unrequited Love, Slice of Life, Spinel Gem Analysis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24908983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melomaniaa/pseuds/Melomaniaa
Summary: Change. Steven mulled over that word; change was constant, change was inevitable. He had recognized that a while back, he had accepted it. So why was it that every single time that word confronted him, he had the urge to push it back, to avoid it.
Relationships: More in later Chapters - Relationship, Spinel/Steven Universe
Comments: 28
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

Four years and suddenly even a childhood hometown will become close to unrecognizable, Steven thought to himself as he looked at all the new buildings and shops scattered in Beach City. He hadn’t expected his hometown to be exactly like it had been when he’d left four years ago, that would be ridiculous. If anything he’d anticipated the change, but now in the clear daylight, he wondered if he’d ever be able to walk through the streets feeling at home like he once used to be able to. As immature as he knew these thoughts were, years of traveling through the country had caused him to yearn for something comfortingly familiar... Lost in his thoughts Steven almost walked past Big Donuts, it was the rumbling of his stomach that reminded him that he had left the House with nothing more than a quick good morning to a still slumbering Amethyst on the couch and no breakfast. He’d been fairly anxious to get a good look at what had become of Beach City after arriving so late the previous night. Basically, Steven was starving now and donuts felt like the perfect comfort food for the day as he opened the door to the donut shop. Wait. it really was completely remodeled-

“ ** _Yoo-hoo_**! Do my eyes deceive me ?? Is that Mr. Steven Universe I see ?!??!” He paused as the door closed silently behind him, that syrupy voice was the last voice he expected to hear right on his first morning back home. Nevertheless, a pink-clad figure waved cheerfully at him from the sales counter, her arm stretched impossibly long like she wanted to make sure he didn’t miss the wave she was sending his way, her giggle was infectious and melodious as though it were designed to be pleasant to the ears.

Steven blinked rapidly a couple of times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things “Spinel?”

After a slight nod at his direction, she turned back to the customer she’d been helping “Sorry about that. I got a little carried away there, he’s a friend!! Here ya go, freshly out of the oven just for you ma’am.” The little old lady seemed dazed by the gems' exuberant attitude, she took the bright pink box with a shy thank you. “Bye! Please come again soon!” Spinel called after her as she walked out the door leaving Steven with the gem and a couple sitting in a corner clicking away at their laptops and occasionally sharing glances with each other. Steven had opened the door for the lady as he watched the exchange in a slight surprise at Spinel’s behavior; she was so well adjusted considering she wasn’t jumping off the walls and rolling around the floor.

“What are you doing just standing there? I don’t bite~” She giggled, Steven cringed a little at that childish cheerfulness, it was still too much for him even if it was toned down by 90%

It was curiosity that got him to walk up to the counter and not flat out leave so he wouldn’t have to deal with her overwhelming presence. “You work here?” He internally rolled his eyes at the stupid question.

“Nah! I just broke in here to sell these donuts for free!!” She quipped and this time he really did roll his eyes already regretting his decision to stay, she was annoying. Spinel frowned at this and cleared her throat. “heh, I was only joking Ste-”

“Yeah, I know you were.” He interrupted, “Why are you working here though? Did something happen with the Diamonds?” _Did they get tired of you so soon?_ He didn’t actually say that. Regardless of the lukewarm feelings he harbored for her, Steven did feel concerned over Spinel's wellbeing and didn't want to upset her.

Gingerly organizing a display of colorful donuts from a, he couldn’t help but notice, decadent pink tray Spinel hummed happily. “ Oh I still live with them, I just commute here to work.”

He raised a brow “commute?”

“Yes, I've been using the new warp pads from Little Homeworld….”

Steven mulled over this bit of information, so she’d been visiting Little Homeworld for the past four years? Not just visiting, she now worked at Beach City and he’d had no idea about it. Granted he didn’t ask the Crystal Gems about Spinel’s whereabouts during their frequent conversations. Heck, _he didn’t even ask the Diamonds about Spinel whenever they contacted him,_ Steven admitted to himself. He paused out of his internal thoughts realizing that Spinel hadn’t stopped talking to him.

“.... and they were very encouraging about it, so I stopped by just a few months after you lef-”

He interrupted her again, “Sorry- what? I missed the first parts.”

“Oh!” Unbothered by the interruption, or the fact that Steven had just admitted to completely ignoring her whole story for the past few minutes, Spinel restarted, “After you left I was feeling a little down because I couldn't forget about what the Connie girl had said to us, about how we'd been so terrible to you and so selfish. So I wanted to find a way to make it up to Beach City somehow… You know after the whole, trying to kill you and destroy everything you loved and held dear thing? I still felt so guilty about that.” She added with a bubbly chuckle, Steven winced at her morbid bluntness. “So I called the Connie girl and asked her what I should do! And she said I should ‘be productive and contribute positively to the community for a change’ so I got a job here!!!” She twisted her arms to form two hearts as she said the last part. “The diamonds were very encouraging but didn’t want me to actually live here because Earth is still too disgusting for me to stay in! They sent funding so I could make the place more hospitable for myself and told me I could work here five days a week but had to get home right after work. Isn't that swell?”

Still bristling at the rude comment aimed at his home by the Diamonds, Steven raised a brow and gave the shop another look over. It really was completely remodeled. Unrecognizable even; The walls were now a powdery pink with fairy lights and soft turfs of tulle hanging from the ceiling giving a cloudlike effect from above, little orbs of light stuck out like cream colored moons, there were no more coolers or refrigerators, instead they had been replaced by golden-colored tables and chairs that curled at the ends, the floor was like a shimmering white crystal. It was all so pink, so soft and twinkling like the little spark in rejuvenated Spinels eyes. So...Overbearing. There was an espresso machine now too,

  
“... You turned Big Donuts into a cafe.” He finally said bemused by the realization

Spinel hummed and her eyes followed to where he was now looking “I added espresso to the menu! Donuts and coffee go together like peanut butter and jelly! Everyone loves it!! Here look at this.” She motioned him to follow her to the pink espresso machine.

“What are you doing ?” He asked her after a few minutes of observing her fiddle with a few pitchers and items he didn’t recognize.

“Wait!” A soft wiring from the machine started as she hummed a little tune to herself, she was concentrating. “It’s a surprise.” After a few more moments of him waiting and trying to figure out what she was singing to herself the pink gem handed him a cream ceramic mug with a peppy exclamation of “Ta da!” He looked at the drink, there was a teddy bear formed by the foam, espresso and doodles of chocolate. “It's the little friend everyone asks for me to decorate their drinks with!”

“Adorable.” He smiled softly at the drink, then glanced up to see that she was nervously fidgeting and watching him, so he swiftly took a sip and added “tasty too” She puffed up with giddiness at the compliment.

“Oh I'm so happy you liked it, Steven! You should try the raspberry jelly donuts! They go well with a latte, made the recipe especially for the teddy latte when I finally got the design down...”

Backing up a little from her enthusiastic energy Steven contemplated her behavior. She was like an energetic puppy as she handed him a plate with a donut covered in fluffy powdered sugar and waited for him to take a bite with big sparkling eyes. She really hasn't changed for the most part Steven finally concluded as he took a bite and made a modest sound of affirmation, it was delicious, he hated to admit it.

The smile turned wistful “I hope you can bring the Connie girl someday,” Spinel said this softly, almost to herself. “I'm here because she helped me practice for the interview, I'd like to thank her.”

He chewed on his last bite of the donut a little longer than necessary, observing her. “Why don’t you just invite her here yourself? I know she visits Beach City often”

Spinel seemed to unintentionally pull back from that question, as though it burned her to even hear it let alone consider doing what he was suggesting, grabbing a small towel she started to wipe at a display window with vigor. “I've heard she’s always busy with work and volunteering. I don’t want to bother her heeh” **_I_ don’t want to get a ‘No’ from her**, is what Steven was practically hearing.

 _She’s actually pretty shy_ , Steven grinned and after a few more seconds of her doing anything to not meet his eyes he took pity on her and said: “This place looks like a nice hangout spot, maybe I'll bring her sometime next week, you know, when she’s not volunteering and stuff.”

The smile Spinel sent him was enough to light up a dozen rooms, it was. Beautiful.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Wait. What?

Spinels Latte Art Inspo:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there friends! So my first Steven Universe Fic is here, yay I did it! I'm also super nervous about it, please leave a comment with any advice you may have. I really didn't like what happened with Spinel in SU: Future, she didn't seem truly happy. I'm writing this as a way to cope with the disappointment, with all due respect of course, thank you to the crew for creating this character, I just want her to be happy. Personally, I really liked the shy and insecure Spinel we saw towards the end of SU: The Movie, I thought it really made sense after what had happened to her, so I want to keep that part of her, she's skittish about reaching out to others because she has been hurt before. I love the more angsty and scathing side of Steven, there's a lot to unpack there with him.
> 
> Spinel was humming to Flight of the Foo Birds by Count Basie


	2. Chapter 2

Wiping a sheen of sweat off his brow Steven admired his finished work. An hour of work had paid off with quite the impressive beach shelter, he’d even managed to set up a beach volleyball court just a few steps away. _This_ _will be perfect for the barbecue_ , he thought to himself proudly. All that was left to do now was wait for everyone to arrive.

“Looking good dude,” Pipped up Amethyst and she made her way out from under the largest of the umbrellas Steven has propped up to the side.

He watched her make a beeline to the grill and food he’d set up, “Yeah thanks for the help here Amethyst.” Steven said this with playful sarcasm

“Hey!” She mocked offense and took a handful of chips from a large bowl on the main table. “I helped.. as moral support and don’t tell me that doesn’t count. This wouldn't have been possible if I hadn’t told you it was.”

“Whatever you say.” 

Plopping down on one of the chairs Amethyst leaned back and asked “So when is everyone getting here?”

“Probably in 30 minutes or so,” He answered distractedly as he secured the weights holding down the large tent for the tenth time. “Mr. Maheswaran left to pick up Connie from the airport at 12:00 so they must be on their way here by now.”

“You seem tense.” She finally noted after a small moment of silence

He stopped in the middle of what he was doing and made eye contact with her, his expression hardening. “Tense ? Why would I be tense?” 

Holding up her hands innocently she continued, “I'm just saying. You’ve been obsessively planning this barbeque since you’ve been back dude. Yeah it’s turned out great but.. Well what are you hoping for after this is done? All this …. It’s about Connie isn’t it?”

The sigh Steven released was one he’d been holding in for the past week of being back home, had he really been so transparently anxious about Connie’s arrival? He felt himself blush, feeling a little pathetic. “I just- Connie graduated last week and I know she’s planning on going on to graduate school in the Fall and I don't know.. I feel like I came back to the same situation I’d been in when I left.” 

“Have you talked to her about how you’re feeling?” He shook his head as a reply, and the gem clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Why not?? Don’t you guys talk like, _**everyday**_??” 

Watching a few small waves gently ripple to the shore Steven tried to calm himself down. He didn’t want to snap at Amethyst, she was only trying to help him and that’s what he needed the most, someone to open up to, someone he could talk to about his troubled feelings. That someone, he decided with a pang of guilt, was not Amethyst. Steven was quickly realizing that he was making so many of the same mistakes he’d made in the past, and while that thought scared him, what scared him even more was the idea of anyone discovering that he hadn’t moved forward in four years, he felt so ashamed. 

“I just can’t.” Steven replied mostly to himself.

“Dude you have to talk to her, it’s the only way you’ll be able to work things out.” 

_It’s so easy for her to say that_ , he thought bitterly. To anyone watching from afar Steven talking to Connie about what he was feeling regarding her going to graduate school far away from Beach City and him _again_ was just so easy. But how could he? How could he put into words the horrible thoughts running through his head and not sound like a pathetic loser? There was no way around it, those thoughts were flat out pathetic and he hated feeling them; he hated the way his stomach dropped every time Connie would bring up her plans for graduate school, he was sickened by the bitter taste in his mouth he’d get every time she’d cancel a chat because of a study session with a classmate. It was wrong of him to feel this way, Connie was his girlfriend with a future and dreams of her own, she wasn’t his property. Even if Connie had assured Steven in the past that he could open up to her with whatever troubled him, he knew that once he revealed his obsession with the future of their relationship she’d pull away for both of their sake. _I should be pulling away,_ but even just thinking of a future without Connie in it felt unbearable, it made his heart race from fear. No, he just had to be patient, they were meant to be together, Steven was sure of that. 

* * *

This was nice, he thought happily with a soft smile. They were all sitting under the starry sky tired out after more than a couple rounds of beach volleyball. A bonfire he’d started with his father's help kept them cozy as the air around them began to cool from the lack of sunlight. The idle chatter was pleasant and inviting despite Steven feeling a little lost as he listened, certain names and places unfamiliar to him. Regardless of that, he felt welcomed when someone would chime in with an explanation on who the gem’s were and where the new bowling alley had popped up just a few months ago. 

Next to him Connie squeezed his hand gently getting his attention, “I have Thursday free, we should spend the day together and you know, see what's new around here. Maybe go to that bowling alley Garnet just told you about?” 

He beamed back at her, her words echoing in his head. Steven hadn’t considered that Connie herself had only returned to Beach City for summer and winter breaks. The town was as much a mystery to her as it was to him. The idea of them re-discovering Beach City together comforted him.

“Yeah we should! wait...” He thought for a second, remembering something and added. “I know! We could go to Spinel’s Cafe afterwards, I stopped by there last week and she really wanted to see you.”

The silence that followed the mention of Spinel was heavy. Everyone was looking at him now as though he'd gone insane and Connie sighed looking like she knew where this was going and was tired of it already. 

“You went to that pink monstrosity that clown had built here ?” Asked Lapis baffled by what she’d just heard from him.

 _Clown_? Steven was taken aback by the venom in her voice, he shrugged.“ I mean, sure it’s not Big Donut anymore by a long shot but I think she did a pretty good job with the place and the food was good so...” 

_What's the problem_ , he wanted to ask. 

Lapis rolled her eyes at that, “Of course she has the whole place decked out; it was all funded by her owners, so she could play entrepreneur here on earth.” Steven had never wanted to switch topics so quickly in his life, the evening had been so peaceful but now he could see that not only was Lapis getting agitated everyone else was following suit. 

“You know that’s not true Lapis,” Connie’s dark eyes were pointedly glaring at the blue gem sitting across the bonfire. “I've told you guys so many times, she came here to make amends with everyone.” 

“Hah, is that why she didn’t try talking to any of us before barging up in here, and just uses the Little Homeworld warp pads without even acknowledging us everyday??” Amethyst asked sarcastically

“Spinel talked to me before she made her decision.” Insisted Connie. “And she did try to reach out to you guys when she first got here. Don’t you remember she wanted Peridot and Bismuth to help her design and rebuild Big Donuts?” This comment didn’t have the effect Connie had probably hoped to get, instead Bismuth made a noise of disgust.

“Ugh don’t remind me.” Snapped Peridot looking equally disgusted. “After everything that’s happened she really had the nerve to ask us to help her with a Homeworld funded project? What is wrong with her??” 

“So who ended up helping her build the cafe?” Steven interjected now slightly intrigued by the drama.

Shrugging her shoulders and leaning back on her seat Peridot made a face like she’d just tasted a particularly sour lemon. “Beats me, she showed up with some Homeworld Rubies after we rejected her offer.” 

_Geez_ , though Steven internally wincing and feeling a little bad for Spinel. “You mean, no one wanted to take the job offer at all?” 

“No one likes her.” Explained Lapis, “She basically showed up here one day like nothing had happened, didn’t apologize for anything she did and just took over Big Donuts. Not to mention she’s the Diamond’s little pet.” She directed the next part with honesty to Connie, “look I’m sorry, I know you don’t have a problem with her, and maybe you've gotten to know her better but I just don’t trust her one bit.” 

“But no one liking her isn’t completely true.” Said Pearl, she’d been silently listening to the entire conversation thoughtfully “Spinel is pretty popular with the humans. I've had friends tell me that weekends get pretty busy in that cafe, and the word of mouth goes past Beach City too.”

“Well duh,” Peridot said, sounding unimpressed “She’s always entertaining them with her schlocky trick, humans cant get enough of that type of stuff.” 

There was so much to unpack here, Steven wondered if this type of divide between Homeworld and Little Homeworld gems was rampant everywhere or if it was just a Spinel centric issue considering the circumstances. He’d never stopped to consider the implications of Spinel leaving with the Diamonds all those years ago. He'd been so eager to send her off with them the moment the choice had arrived; both to get the Diamond’s to reconsider their desire to stay on earth with him and also to get Spinel as far away from earth after the mess she’d made of his home. Spinel’s shamefaced apology ran through his memory clearly as ever, she had looked so small and lost to him in that moment, it was a genuine apology and he had forgiven her. The issue now was that while she had apologized to him for what she’d done, Spinel had said nothing to the other gems whose home she’d basically tried to destroy too. Steven couldn’t blame the Little Homeworld gems for resenting this. 

Connie’s measured voice of reason put a pause to his rampant internal thoughts, “Listen guys, Spinel… she’s perhaps a little airheaded but she’s completely harmless. If anything, I think she’s just really bad at making acquaintances.” This earned a few sounds of disbelief from the group. Since Spinel had been specifically created to be a companion and a friend, how could she be bad at making friends to this day? It sounded like an excuse to most of them. “Just think about it, she spends so much time away from Homeworld but also spends all the time she’s here working at that cafe. It must be lonely living like that. I feel for her.. I really do.”

At that Steven thought back to how enthusiastically Spinel had greeted him and called him a “friend” when he’d entered the shop, how she'd let him sample various items after Steven had agreed to take Connie to the cafe but he especially dwelled on the slight uneasiness he’d felt at various points when talking to her. Steven had passed the feeling off as him being cranky because of how early it was as he’d made his way out of the cafe Spinel leading him to the door with a bounce in her step. Now he realized that what he’d felt was probably the discomfort that came from seeing Spinel so desperate to connect with him considering he was most likely the first gem to have ever entered her shop in a while. The surge of pity mercifully distracted Steven from the troubling way he was now relating with Spinel at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was done with the chapter when I worried I may have written the others to harshly and mean towards Spinel. But I decided that the harshness was reasonable coming from them. I think it was the in the SU Movie Artbook where Rebecca described Spinel with a number of words, many of them were positive like “adorable” and “lovable” But one of them was also “obtuse” and that really stuck with me. I love Spinel because of that, she’s imperfect and not everyone’s cup of tea but she leaves an impression on you regardless.
> 
> I’ll probably try to update “To Be Found” next. It Depends on which one I get inspired by next 😚💕

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there friends! So my first Steven Universe Fic is here, yay I did it! I'm also super nervous about it, please leave a comment with any advice you may have. I really didn't like what happened with Spinel in SU: Future, she didn't seem truly happy. I'm writing this as a way to cope with the disappointment, with all due respect of course, thank you to the crew for creating this character, I just want her to be happy. Personally, I really liked the shy and insecure Spinel we saw towards the end of SU: The Movie, I thought it really made sense after what had happened to her, so I want to keep that part of her, she's skittish about reaching out to others because she has been hurt before. I love the more angsty and scathing side of Steven, there's a lot to unpack there with him. 
> 
> Spinel was humming to Flight of the Foo Birds by Count Basie


End file.
